CE rules out further easing Covid restrictions as bar clusters grow

By The SUN 

CE Lam says further relaxation of restrictions is not likely 

Chief Executive Carrie Lam has said that because of the Covid-19 outbreaks in two bars in Central recently, the planned third phase of relaxation of social distancing measures may not push through in late June.

She made the statement just before attending the Executive Council session earlier today, May 31. Health officials later announced that 14 new cases were added to the cluster outbreaks at Zentral and Iron Fairies bars, raising the overall tally to 59.

The total number of cases reported for the day went up slightly to 329, which included 35 imported cases.

“As things now stand, we are in a sort of stagnant situation, with the daily number of positive-tested cases staying at around 200 and 300 cases, including local infections as well as imported cases,” said CE Lam.

“But there have already been over 10 such infection clusters in the community, especially the two most recent cases involving bars. So, we will have to take a very prudent approach, and my position at this moment is we probably will not introduce the third and final stage of the social distancing relaxation before the end of June.”

The final phase would have seen the removal of the remaining restrictions on bars and other venues considered as high risk, such as increasing their customer intake from 85% to 100%, and allowing dancing and live performances.

CE Lam said the outbreaks took place because some people did not follow anti-epidemic measures, such as not wearing masks while dancing or doing other performance activities.

Health officials said initial investigations showed the infected customers at the two bars did not wear masks while talking and dancing. Both bars also admitted about 700 customers during the evening performances on May 21, although their full capacity should have been 300.

Chuang says about 100 patrons of each club have yet to be tested

Dr Chuang Shuk-kwan of the Centre for Health Protection said that four new cases were added to the cluster in Zentral bar, which is located in California Tower in D’Aguilar Street. The total number in the cluster has now gone up to 24.

Another 10 cases were added to the outbreak in Iron Fairies bar in Chinachem Building on Hollywood Road, raising the tally in this cluster to 32.

“More than half of them have symptoms,” said Chuang.

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She also said that of the 700 customers who had entered each bar using the LeaveHomeSafe app, about 100 in each place have yet to comply with the  compulsory testing notice.

Meanwhile, 27 new cases were reported at 24 schools today. Chuang said one of the schools had a class with special needs, and two staff members there and one student tested positive a few days ago.

One more case involving a teaching staff was added today. But since the last day of school was on May 26, it’s believed the outbreak has been stopped.

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Of the imported cases, 19 were detected on arrival at Hong Kong airport while 16 tested positive during the seven-day hotel quarantine.

Six more cases involving Omicron sub-variant BA.2.12.1 were detected from previously reported cases, and one of them involved a local transmission.

Chuang said the patient works in the warehouse at the HK Convention and Exhibition Centre, and had been to the staff canteen at the same time as two previously diagnosed workers, who also carried the sub-variant.

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Their infection was traced to the spread of the sub-variant at McDonald’s in Taikoo Shing.

A total of 78 cases involving the highly transmissible Omicron sub-variant have so far been detected in Hong Kong.

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No new Covid-related death was reported, so the death toll in the fifth wave of the pandemic remains at 9,165 with the mortality rate at 0.764%.

Dr. Gladys Kwan of the Hospital Authority said 419 patients are still receiving treatment in hospitals while 46 have been discharged.

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Of those still in hospital, 10 are in critical condition and eight are seriously ill. Five patients are in intensive care.

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OFW hatid-probinsiya, ititigil na ng OWWA

The SUN Hong Kong

Mula June 1 ay hindi na maghahatid pauwi ang OWWA sa mga OFW na darating sa Pilipinas

Simula sa Miyerkules, June 1, ay dapat nang magbayad ng pamasahe pauwi sa kani-kanilang mga probinsiya ang mga darating na overseas Filipino workers (OFW) sa Pilipinas.

Ito ay dahil ititigil na ng Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) ang paghahatid sa mga OFW sa kanilang mga bahay mula sa Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

Ayon kay OWWA administrator Hans Cacdac, napagpasyahan nilang itigil na ang dalawang taong serbisyo dahil 95% naman daw ng mga OFW ay hindi na nagpapahatid pauwi dahil normal na ang takbo ng mga pampublikong sasakyan.

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Dulot din daw ito ng desisyon ng Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) kontra sa Covid-10 na isailalim ang National Capital Region sa Alert Level 1, na naglagay sa normal na takbo ang buhay sa buong Metro Manila.

Gayunpaman, mananatili daw ang paghahatid pauwi sa mga OFW na “distressed” o yung mga nahaharap sa suliranin, katulad ng mga maysakit; at pati na din yung mga na-repatriate mula sa bansang kanilang pinagtatrabahuan.

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Ipagpapatuloy din daw ng OWWA ang pagsagot ng mga tutuluyan para sa quarantine ng mga uuwing OFW na hindi bakunado, hindi kumpleto ang bakuna o hindi nakapagpa test para sa Covid bago umuwi. Alinsunod kasi sa pinakahuling patakaran ay hindi na kailangang mag quarantine pagdating sa Pilipinas ang lahat ng darating mula sa ibang bansa na may dalawang turok na ng bakuna kontra sa Covid-19.

Pero kapag lumabas na ang negatibo nilang resulta para sa Covid test ay kailangan na nilang bayaran ang pamasahe pauwi sa kani-kanilang mga bahay.

2 taon na naghatid-sundo ang OWWA sa mga OFW na papaalis o bagong dating

Ang balita ay nagsanhi ng pagbatikos sa OWWA ng ilang mga OFW, kabilang na ang mga nasa Hong Kong. Karamihan sa kanila ay sinabi na kung kailan dinagdagan ng pamahalaan ang mga sinisingil na bayarin sa mga OFW ay saka naman nila babawasan ang kanilang serbisyo.

Kasabay kasi ng pagpapatupad ng desisyong ito ng OWWA ay nakatakda ding singilin ang mga OFW ng 5% na kontribusyon sa PhilHealth, mandatory insurance na nagkakahalaga ng hindi bababa sa Php6,000 at kontribusyon sa Pag-IBIG.

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Ayon sa United Filipinos – Migrante Hong Kong, “Ang OWWA nagbawas na ng serbisyo sa mga OFW pero nagdagdag naman ang gobyerno ng mga mandatory fees. Kamusta naman tayo?”

Sinimulan ng OWWA ang pagbibigay ng libreng tuluyan sa mga OFW para sa kanilang quarantine at ticket o sakay pauwi sa kani-kanilang mga probinsiya noong Mayo ng 2020 matapos kumalat ang coronavirus sa Pilipinas.

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Dahil sa paulit-ulit na lockdown ay nahirapang makauwi ang mga OFW kaya minabuti ng pamahalaan na ihatid na sila sa kanilang mga lugar.

Noong umpisa ay nagtalaga din ang OWWA ng mga sasakyan sa mga karatig-probinsiya para sunduin ang mga OFW na papaalis naman ng bansa at hirap makarating sa NAIA dahil sa kawalan ng masasakyan sanhi ng lockdown.

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Ayon kay Cacdac, mahigit 1.2 million na OFW ang nakinabang sa serbisyong ito sa nagdaang dalawang taon.

Gumastos diumano ang pamahalaan ng Php20 billion para pambayad sa mga hotel na tinuluyan nila, Php billion para sa paghahatid sa kanila pauwi, at halos Php1billion para sa kanilang pagkain.

Ang lahat daw ng ito ay binayaran ng gobyerno, kaya ang Php18.3 na budget ng OWWA ay hindi nabawasan.

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Officials probe Covid outbreak at 2 Central bars

By Daisy CL Mandap

 

Au says the FEHD will look into whether any anti Covid rules were breached by the bars

Health authorities are looking into whether two bars in Central where separate outbreaks of Covid-19 have been detected, violated social distancing rules by taking in about 700 customers each on May 21.

Speaking at today’s Covid briefing, Dr Albert Au of the Centre for Health Protection said the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will look into the case, as he reported 275 new infections, 48 of them imported.

Among the new cases were 11 additional customers of the Iron Fairies bar at Chinachem building on Hollywood Road, which took the total tally in the cluster there to 22.

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Another eight customers of Zentral bar at California Tower in Lan Kwai Fong also tested positive, taking the tally in this cluster to 23.

According to Au, the capacity of each bar was around 300 people, but the LeaveHomeSafe app showed they had been visited by some 700 people in total between 11pm on May 21 and 2am the next day.

He pointed out, however, that the 700 was the cumulative number of people who went into each club during the indicated period.

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Au also said that from their investigation, they found out that most of the people who packed the clubs had their masks off as they drank, talked or danced to live music played by a DJ, or disc jockey.

He said the matter has been turned over to the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department for an inquiry into whether any violations of the anti-pandemic restrictions had been committed.

Au also said they had found a link between the two bars, but were unsure whether a cross-infection had occurred because they were both visited by two customers.

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The two men who are friends aged 30 and 29, both went to Iron Fairies at about 10:45pm on May 21 and stayed there for about 30 minutes, then headed off to Zentral.

Au also noted that one of the patients in the Zentral cluster reported having symptoms on May 20, whereas the earliest onset of symptoms patients linked to Iron Fairies was May 23, so it remains unclear where the infection had come from in each case.

With the additional cases discovered, Hong Kong’s total caseload in the fifth wave of the pandemic has now hit 1,199,939.

Au says Iron Fairies was packed on the night in question and customers took off masks (File)

Two more Covid-related deaths were reported, involving two women aged 65 and 84, who both had chronic diseases. They pushed up the death tally from the Omicron surge to 9,165.

Au said four more BA.2.12.1 cases were detected, including three who live together in Mount Parker Lodge in Quarry Bay, and are linked to the outbreak of the Omicron sub-variant in McDonald’s in Tai Koo Shing.

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They include a five-year-old girl, her mother and their foreign domestic helper.

But Au was quick to reassure that the spread of the coronavirus remains stable, with about 200 to 300 additional cases still being reported each day.

He also noted that while the sub-variant may be more infectious that other strains of the Omicron, it does not lead to more severe illnesses, or increases the risk of death.

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Meanwhile, 45 new Covid cases were reported by 34 schools, including 37 students and seven teachers and staff members. However, these were infections detected over the weekend and earlier today.

Among the new cases were six involving the DSC (Delia School of Canada) International School in Taikoo Shing and Pok Oi Hospital Memorial College in Yuen Long.

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New outbreak found at second bar in Central

By The SUN

 

The iconic ceiling of Iron Fairies bar, where 11 patrons have tested positive for Covid-19 (FB photo)

Health officials have disclosed a new Covid-19 outbreak at a second bar in Central, where at least 11 customers have been infected.

Speaking at the press briefing on Sunday, Dr Albert Au of the Centre for Health Protection identified the second bar as Iron Fairies, located at the Chinachem building on Hollywood Road.

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Yesterday, Au said a cluster of 11 cases was found among patrons of the Zentral bar at California Tower in Lan Kwai Fong. Today, four more cases were detected there, raising the tally to 15.

While all the infected customers had been to either bar on May 21 until early the next day, there was no indication that the two outbreaks were related. Au said they have yet to find people who had been to both places.

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As each bar had about 700 customers that night, he said there was a chance that more infections will emerge.

"The earliest case had onset of the disease on 23 May. However, we suspect that some of the cases might not be reported to us yet, or they had not been tested yet," Au said.

A compulsory testing order has been issued on everyone who had been to either bar on the indicated dates.

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Au reported that 237 additional Covid-19 cases were confirmed yesterday, raising the tally in the fifth wave of infections to nearly 1.2 million.

Among the new cases, 37 were imported, and 19 of these were identified at the airport while 16 tested positive at quarantine hotels. 

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The patients had flown in from the United States, Singapore, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. 

There were no new Covid-related deaths, so the overall tally remains at 9,163.

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Two nurses working at the trauma and orthopedics ward at Tuen Mun hospital have tested positive for Covid.

The ward has stopped accepting new patients while authorities try to trace the source of the infections.

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HK eases some rules for people arriving from abroad

By The SUN

 

Travelers will no longer have to show proof of accreditation for the lab that conducted the PCR test

From next month, Hong Kong will relax some of its pre-boarding requirements for inbound travelers, while fine-tuning its flight suspension mechanism for airlines that fail to ensure passengers' compliance with boarding requirements.

However, the government has stood pat on its decision to continue requiring all arriving passengers to show a negative result for a Covid-19 test and stay in a designated hotel for their seven-day quarantine.

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Also, flight suspensions will continue to be invoked unless the concerned airline is willing to pay a $20,000 penalty at the first offense within a 10- day period.

The new measures as set out in a government press release are the following:

1)            (1)      Inbound travelers need to show only a negative result for a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test conducted within 48 hours of their scheduled time of departure. They will no longer be required to present a documentary proof that the laboratory or healthcare institution is recognized by the authority or government where it is located

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2)            (2)     Children below three years old will no longer be required to present a negative result for a Covid test prior to boarding but will be tested on arrival in Hong Kong

3)             (3)    Travelers transferring or transiting in Hong Kong will no longer be asked to present a negative PCR test result

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4)            (4)    Recovered Covid patients will be allowed to present a negative result for a RAT, instead of a PCR test, given that viral genome particles in a recovered person’s body may still be detectable through PCR tests. However, the passenger in this case must present (a) a negative result in a RAT taken within 24 hours before departure; (b) documentary proof that they were infected with the coronavirus 14 to 90 days prior to boarding and have recovered;

5)          (5)   All inbound travelers must undergo PCR tests on the ninth and 12^th day of their arrival at a community testing centre. These will be apart from daily RAT tests during their seven-day hotel quarantine and the PCR test done on the 5^th day of their quarantine.

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As for the adjusted flight suspension rules, airlines that failed to ensure passengers complied with boarding conditions will be issued with a warning and ordered to pay $20,000 in penalty at the first instance within a 10-day period.

If the same flight triggers the suspension criterion again within 10 days, all passenger flights for that route will be prohibited from landing in Hong Kong for five days.

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If the airline refuses to pay the penalty, the five-day suspension will immediately kick in.

For more details on the new boarding restrictions, check out the government statement here: https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202205/29/P2022052900331.htm

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Central bar at center of new coronavirus outbreak

By The SUN

 

Zentral bar is located in California Tower in Lan Kwai Fong (website photo)

Health officials have reported a new Covid-19 outbreak at a club in Central where 11 customers had contracted the virus, and as a consequence, one of them infected six other people.

Dr Albert Au of the Centre for Health Protection made the disclosure as he reported 270 new Covid-19 cases on Saturday, 31 of them imported.

Au identified the bar as Zentral, located at California Tower in Lan Kwai Fong.

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He said the patrons, six men and five women aged between 17 and 29 years old, had visited the bar from 11pm on May 21 until it was supposed to have closed at 2am the next day.

The sick patients developed symptoms starting that Sunday until Thursday.

Au said a compulsory testing notice has been issued for those who were at the bar on the dates and times indicated.

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Authorities were also checking whether any Covid restrictions were violated. He said records from the LeaveHomeSafe app showed the last of the customers left at 5am, but this may also be because they had forgotten to press the “leave” button when they actually left.

According to Au, the 11 people who were infected did not seem to know each other.

"Many of the cases told us they went on their own or with one or two friends. They told us they walked around to drink and chat with others without wearing a mask," Au said.

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Following the spread of the virus in the bar, one of the customers, a 23-year-old man who works as a part-time basketball coach at a school in Yuen Long, appears to have passed it on to six students he had coached.

The coach wore a mask during the training session, but the players did not, said Au. Twenty-four other players who joined the session have been asked to quarantine at home.

The CHP official also said one more student at the DSC International School in Taikoo Shing has tested positive for Covid, taking the number of infected people in the cluster to five.

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Meanwhile, authorities said one more students at the DSC International School in Taikoo Shing had tested positive to Covid, taking the number of people infected in the cluster to five.

Officials who did follow-up investigations also learned that one of the four infected primary school student lives in the same Taikoo Shing block as a man who caught an Omicron sub-variant in the McDonald’s restaurant nearby.

The student reportedly lives on a floor above the man, but investigations are still being carried out to find out if the two cases are related.

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Dr Larry Lee of the Hospital Authority reported one Covid-related death, involving a 77-year-old man who received two vaccine doses but suffered a stroke earlier and had a respiratory disease.

He was taken to hospital after complaining of breathing difficulties and was found to have pneumonia. His condition deteriorated and he passed away on Friday.

The city’s death toll from the fifth wave of the Covid outbreak has gone up to 9,163 while the total number of infections in the same period is now at 1,199,227.

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